In December 2008, an electrical space heater caused a fire at the Heavenly Angels Daycare in Alamo, Tennessee. The fire injured three children: two two-year olds and a three-year old. The children were rescued from the fire by Alamo Assistant Chief Kevin Sugg, who was off duty at the time. All three were treated for smoke inhalation, and the three-year old also had burns on his face. The owner, Kathy T. Humphrey, was charged with child abuse and neglect of a child under the age of six.

At the time of the accident, Humphrey and two other women had already been cited by the Tennessee Department of Human Services for operating a childcare agency without a license. Humphrey pleaded guilty to the abuse and neglect charges and was placed on unsupervised probation. The standard two-year sentence was suspended.

Daycare centers should be a safe and loving place for children to go while their parents are at work. This case highlights how important it is for parents to thoroughly check into their daycare provider’s reputation, facilities, and license status. If a parent finds that a daycare center is operating without an appropriate license, they should report them to the proper authorities so that tragedies like this one can be avoided.